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Undrafted Fine gets camp invite - COMMENT

A sinking feeling was suddenly met with a sense of buoyancy for 18-year-old Michael Fine Saturday.

At about 2:30 p. m., the Soo Greyhounds centre received a phone call from Buffalo Sabres amateur scout Eric Weissman, inviting him to the club's summer prospect camp.

It was at that very moment, Fine, who hadn't kept track of the goings on at the NHL Entry Draft, realized he hadn't been selected.

"I was disappointed. But that definitely motivates me more," said Fine, a six-foot, 190-pounder, who was rated 122nd among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting's final rankings. "Not getting drafted motivates me to become a

better player. That'll make our Greyhounds team better and all of the players benefit from that."

Twenty-year-old winger Jordan Nolan, taken in the seventh round (186th overall) by the Los Angeles Kings, was the only Hounds player drafted on the weekend.

Fine, who notched 16 goals and 21 assists in 58 games for the 2008-2009 Hounds, said Buffalo's invitation excited him and helped ease the doubt over not being selected.

The Sabres, who were missing a second-round draft choice after a previous trade, wound up selecting six players over the two-day draft, which began with Round 1, Friday night in Montreal.

"He (Weissman) told me I was high on their list," said Fine, reached at his North York, Ont., home. "It sounded to me as if they would have taken me if they'd had all of their picks. Hearing that picked up my spirits."

The Sabres prospect camp is slated to begin July 5 and Fine, who's been skating and working out regularly, said he's in top physical form.

He believes he's ready to show Buffalo management what he has to offer.

"I want to go there and impress them with my play," he said. "I'm very excited."